Walfredo Reyes Jr.

Walfredo Reyes Jr. (born Walfredo de los Reyes Palau IV; December 18, 1955) is a Cuban American musician who is an expert in drum set and auxiliary percussion, and a music educator and clinician. He has performed with many jazz, Latin, World music, World fusion, Afro-Cuban, and rock bands as a touring, session recording, and full-time player/performer.

Walfredo Reyes Jr.
Reyes, Jr. in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Walfredo de los Reyes Palau IV
Also known as	Wally Reyes, Jr. Walfredo Reyes
Born	(1955-12-18) December 18, 1955 (age 69) Havana, Cuba
Genres	Jazz latin world afro-cuban rock
Occupations	Session full-time musician music educator clinician
Instruments	Drums percussion
Years active	1972 (1972)–present
Member of	Chicago
Formerly of	Santana Traffic
Website	walfredoreyesjr.com

Reyes is known for his fusion of many of the world's percussion techniques, including the ability to play a drum set with his hands in addition to the traditional use of drumsticks; it was said that he can "sound like a drummer and a percussionist at the same time"^[1][2][3] He was a member of Santana and joined Chicago as the percussionist from 2012 to 2018, at which point he took over the drum seat.^[4][5][6] He also performed in the band of former Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton. Reyes is the title character of the Phish song "Walfredo".^[7]

Biography

Walfredo Reyes Jr. was born on December 18, 1955, in Havana, Cuba. His native name of Walfredo de los Reyes Palau IV is a traditional Cuban combination of his paternal and maternal surnames. He is a third generation musician in a prolific professional musical lineage on both sides of his family, including several globally recognized percussion experts. His father is percussionist Walfredo Reyes, Sr.; one brother is world music percussionist Daniel de los Reyes; another brother is actor Kamar de los Reyes; and his grandfather is trumpeter and Cuban orchestral organizer, Walfredo de los Reyes II.^[8][9]

Leading up to his current role with the band Chicago, Reyes had a connection as a lifelong fan of the band, as a long-time friend of and collaborator with former drummer Tris Imboden,^[10]: 47 and as brother of Chicago's previous percussionist Daniel de los Reyes.^[8][9] The first album Reyes purchased as a youth was with his own money was Chicago Transit Authority^[9]

Walfredo Reyes Jr. and his wife Kirsten were married on March 21, 2020, and live in Greater Cincinnati.^[11] For the 2021 movie Being the Ricardos, Reyes coached and mentored Javier Bardem in learning the conga drums performed in the film.^[12]

Reyes has globally toured and/or recorded with countless international acts, including the following:^[4]

Years	Artist
1983—1984	Tania Maria
1985—1988	David Lindley’s El Rayo X
1988	Jackson Browne
1988	Jimmy Barnes
1989—1993	Santana
1992	Boz Scaggs
1993	Gloria Estefan
1994	Traffic
1995	Robbie Robertson
1997—2004	Steve Winwood
1998—1999	Joe Sample
2000	Johnny Hallyday
2005	Khaled
2007—2011	Lindsey Buckingham
2008	Mickey Hart
2010—2012	El Chicano[13]
2012—present	Chicago[5][6]

Discography

Select discography
Year	Artist	Title	Credits	Source
1986	Jackson Browne	Lives in the Balance	Conductor, conga, drum set	[14]
1990	Santana	Spirits Dancing in the Flesh	member
1992	Santana	Milagro	member
1993	Santana	Sacred Fire: Live in South America	member	[15][16][notes 1]
1995	Frank Gambale	Thinking Out Loud	Percussion	[17][18]
2000	Johnny Hallyday	100% Johnny – Live a la tour Eiffel	Percussion, drums	[19]
2000	Johnny Hallyday	Olympia 2000 – Live a l'Olympia	Percussion, drums	[20]
2009	Thomas Lorenzo Quartet	Spanish Breeze	Member	[21]
2012	Manny Charlton Band	Hellacious	Member	[22]
2014	Chicago	Chicago XXXVI: Now	Member, percussion
2020	Johnny Hallyday	Happy Birthday – Live au Parc de Sceaux	Percussion, drums

Complete Discography
Year	Artist	Title	Credits	Source
1986	Jackson Browne	Lives in the Balance	Conductor, conga, drum set	[14]
	Johnny Hallyday	Tour 2000 – Backstage
	Carl Verheyen	Trading 8s
	Txell Sust	Ciudadana Universal
	Lindsey Buckingham	Gift of Screws
	Martin Verdonk	Old School, New Sound
	Steve Winwood	Junction Seven
	Steve Winwood	About Time
	Robbie Robertson	Classic Masters
	Joe Sample	The Song Lives On
	Santana (band)	Spirits Dancing in the Flesh
	Santana	Milagro
	Santana	Brothers
	Rickie Lee Jones	Pop Pop		[23]
	Dave Samuels	Del Sol
	Frank Gambale	Passages
	Frank Gambale	Thinkin out Loud
	Don Grusin	Laguna Cove
	John Mayall	Sense of Place
	Kazu Matsui	Wheels of the Sun
	Juan Gabriel	Todo esta Bien
	Daniel de los Reyes	Rafael 560
	Michael Thompson	The World According to MT
	Nestor Torres	Talk to Me
	Kathy Troccoli	Corner of Eden
	Michael O'Neill	Never Too Late
	Freddie Ravel	Soul to Sol
	Jackson Browne	World in Motion
	David Lindley y El Rayo X	Very Greasy
	David Lindley y El Rayo X	Live
	Luis Conte	The Road
	Tania Maria	The Real Tania Maria, Wild!
	Louis Bellson/ Walfredo de los Reyes	Ecue
	Patti Cabrera	Forever & Forever
	Rose Mary Clooney	Brazil
	Clare Fischer	Crazy Bird
	Clare Fischer	Free Fall
	Clare Fischer	Rockin' in Rhythm
	Clare Fischer	Tjaderama
	Jazz Tribute to Brian Wilson	Wouldn't It be Nice
2004	Willie Lomax Blues Revue	Best Blues Money Can Buy	Drums, percussion	[24]
	Marcos Loya	Love is the Reason
	Barry Manilow	Showstoppers
	Don Randi	Baked Potato Shuffle
	Juan Carlos Quintero	Through the Winds
	Ricardo Silveira	Storyteller
	Shapes	The Last Farewell
	Willie and Lobo	Siete
	Haakon Graf	License to Chill
	Roma Kanyan	Insight
2011	Carl Verheyen Band	The Road Divides	Drums, percussion	[25]
2014	Chicago	Chicago XXXVI: Now	Member, percussion

Videography

Year	Title	Artist	Credits	Source
1981	Pippin: His Life and Times		Soundtrack musician, uncredited	[26]
1993	Santana: Sacred Fire, Live in Mexico	Santana	member	[27][notes 1]
2000	100% Johnny Live a la tour Eiffel	Johnny Hallyday	Percussion, drums	[28]
2000	Olympia 2000 – Live a l'Olympia	Johnny Hallyday	Percussion, drums	[29]
2003	The Studio Percussionist, Vol. 1	Michael McFall; Dave Witham; Walfredo de los Reyes; Larry Klimas; John Peña		[30]
2005	The Last Great Traffic Jam	Traffic		[31]
2005	Sound Stage featuring Steve Winwood	Steve Winwood	member	[32]
2005	Global Beats for Drumset & Percussion	Walfredo Reyes Jr.	author of instructional video	[33]
2011	Songs from the Small Machine	Lindsey Buckingham	Drums
2011	The Road Divides	Carl Verheyen Band	Drums, percussion	[34]
2014	Killer B3		Interviewee, drum set	[35]
2020	Happy Birthday – Live au Parc de Sceaux	Johnny Hallyday	Percussion, drums

Equipment

Reyes uses and has used the following equipment:

• DW Drums ^[36]
• Vic Firth Zildjian ^[37]
• Beato Bags^[38]
• Mapex Drums^[2][39]
• Sabian Cymbals^[3][40][41]
• Latin Percussion^[42]
• Remo Drumheads^[43]
• Regal Tip: Walfredo "El Rockero" Reyes Jr. signature series drumsticks. Reyes designed his own signature series of drum sticks, earning him Regal Tip's unique nickname of "El Rockero" (lit. "The Rocker" in English.)^[44]
• Audix microphones^[45]
• Protection Racket drum cases^[46]

See also

Notes

1. Sacred Fire: Live in South America (CD audio) and Sacred Fire: Live in Mexico (DVD video) are counterparts for the same show.